As a part of our ongoing series looking at self-published writers who have used Helix Review, we interviewed Lulu authorKay Gossage,who wrote the fantasy fiction novel: The Sword Of Ages: The Tallah Trilogy. Helix, powered by The Book Genome project, basically allows authors to upload a manuscript and receive an incredibly in depth analysis of the book.

Tell us a bit about The Sword of Ages:
This is a telling of one heroic cycle. When myths and legends are reborn. A time heroes and born as they battle against living myths from the grave. The evil Warlock Lord has reemerged out from the darkness of the past. His reign of fear and shadow long forgotten in his absence over the long years. The Princess Katar of Tallah is loved by all. She is kind hearted and very beautiful. She is captured by the Warlock Lord to be his bride, thus setting in motion her path to destiny, and the young handsome knight Ridge’s as well. In the castle of the Warlock Lord, Katar acquires knowledge that will drive her to set off on her journey to her final destiny. It is one she never imagined or wanted. Ridge is called by fate as well and he sets out to rescue Katar. Along the way Delwin the Knight Master meets young Ridge and takes him to claim the mythical Sword of Ages. It is only yielding this legendary sword can one beat the Warlock Lord. Wilax joins the men and they set forth to rescue the princess. Along the way friendship is found, respect earned, battles won and lost and truths revealed. In the end, Ridge and the Warlock Lord battle and …

How would you describe your writing style:

I start with an idea and write a short form of the story, as complete or incomplete as I can in this first idea creating process. From there then I fill in the blanks and see where it goes. The Tallah Trilogy was a dream I had while pregnant with my first two children. Each book continuing from the previous. I generally write for the younger reader (middle school aged) but the books can be enjoyed by all ages. I try to be descriptive and use dialogue to get points across versus narration. I cannot say I have any one particular style of writing as I allow the story to form and take me along where it goes.

Why did you decide to try Helix:

I was interested in how my book ‘The Sword Of Ages’ flowed and compared to others in the Fantasy genera. I also wanted to see areas where my book excelled as well where I could improve my writing and promotion attempts.

What were you able to learn from the Helix Review:

The Helix Review of my book ‘The Sword Of Ages’ showed me words, concepts and ideas unique to my book as well as my books strengths and weaknesses. The Helix Review provided me with several books comparable to mine and allowed me to see not only how it compares to these other books but in several specific areas.

How do you plan to use the Helix information:

To hopefully become a better writer by strengthening the areas that scored lower in my future writing, creating a better and more enjoyable experience for both my readers and myself.

What would you tell someone considering trying Helix:

I was not certain at first about the Helix Review but after ordering was happy with the overall results. For the price it was a great way to get feedback that can help me understand my book and how it fits into the genera and along side other books. I can also take the feedback and apply it to my future writing to create better and more full enjoyable creations.

Back in May we launched an experimental new offering called Helix, and dubbed it The Personality Test for Your Book.Helix is powered by The Book Genome Project, a massive database of over 100,000 of the world’s best-known books. And basically, it gives you a way to upload your manuscript and get back an incredibly rich and unbiased perspective on your book.

Lulu authors are currently using Helix to gain a better understanding of their book for marketing purposes, and in some cases to gain insight into their writing style. For the first time, we’ve caught up with some of the earliest Helix Review customers to hear more about their book and writing style and what they hoped to learn from Helix.

If you are an author that has used Helix and would like to be featured in the future, please tell us about your experience here.

From now until the end of October, Lulu is featuring authors who have used the Helix Review to gain insight into their writing style and explore new marketing opportunities for their book. Today’s interview is Jerry Martin, author of Moving Sideways, which he describes as mystery and drama. For the full schedule of upcoming interviews, click here.

An Interview with Jerry Martin

Jerry Martin, Author of Moving Sideways

Give us the Moving Sideways pitch

Follow Detectives Debra Thomas and Eugene Willis through a dangerous world of biker bars, drugs, and guns as they search for the wife, Kari Cole, of a prominent Fort Worth lawyer, Tyler Cole, after she goes missing. Is he guilty or the victim of an elaborate scheme?

How would you describe your writing style?

For me, a mystery is just another story without a compelling romance with the hero overcoming a villain that seems unstoppable. The conflict the story is built on must have the elements of danger, love, and action.

Why did you decide to submit Moving Sideways for a Helix Review?

Feedback is an important process to develop as an author. Writing is a passion, but it is also a skill that must be honed as a professional athlete. If you train using the wrong technique or form you will polish imperfection. The Helix Review compares your work with the best in the industry… what could be better?

How are you going to use what you learned?

Advice, feedback, and critiques from test readers or an editor are valuable, but you are limited to the perceptions of a few people. There are many dimensions of writing and multiple theories of how to improve as a writer. What the Helix Review did for me is to compare my work against the best authors in the business regarding specific dimensions with enough depth to make the feedback actionable.

What would you tell someone considering trying Helix?

No matter how long you’ve been writing or published, there is no better way to get valuable comparisons for your work for the price of the Helix Review. This is something you shouldn’t pass up… I will continue using the Helix Review for all my writing.

Back in May we launched an experimental new offering called Helix, and dubbed it The Personality Test for Your Book.Helix is powered by The Book Genome Project, a massive database of over 100,000 of the world’s best-known books. And basically, it gives you a way to upload your manuscript and get back an incredibly rich and unbiased perspective on your book.

Lulu authors are currently using Helix to gain a better understanding of their book for marketing purposes, and in some cases to gain insight into their writing style. For the first time, we’ve caught up with some of the earliest Helix Review customers to hear more about their book and writing style and what they hoped to learn from Helix.

I stumbled across Ken Henderson’s NHL editorial comics while reading an NHL fansite. A visit to his website led me back to www.Lulu.com and his storefront.

From Ken’s Bio:

I grew up playing in the coal hills of Union Bay dreaming of designing future worlds and creatures for George Lucas. Decades later, after working for numerous companies, including LucasFilm, I find myself back at home being amazed at the beauty of the island I left. I’m thrilled to say that technology has enabled me to bring my wonderful young family back to Courtenay where I continue to pursue my craft.

Ken’s artwork ranges from sports to fantasy. His career has led him to producing the artwork for video games and kid’s television shows. He also spent time working for Lucas Arts, any geeks dream come true.